Lady Panthers wins conference tournament

 Prairie View's Lady Panthers dominated the 2013 Toyota Southwestern Athletic Conference basketball tournament for the third time, defeating Mississippi Valley in four overtimes and earning a guaranteed bid to the NCAA Tournament to face Baylor University Bears Sunday, March 24.
 The Lady Panthers have gone 9-0 for the past three years in the SWAC Tournament Championship games. Senior forward Latia "Puff" Williams earned her fourth conference championship ring.
Senior guard Kiara Etienne was the game changer in overtime, scoring her career and game best and of 31 points and defensively at her best with five steals. Williams picked up her third double-double of the SWAC Tournament, gaining 17 points, 13 rebounds and five steals in 54 minutes.
"We played a game and a half and they still wanted to go on. By the fourth overtime they were running on pure will and determination," said head coach Toyelle Wilson.
In the third overtime period sophomore forward Asha Hampton-Finch scored a lay-up off the bench with 2:20 left on the clock, giving the Panthers a two-point lead, 83-81. They allowed Valley to comeback with two good lay-ups to tie the score 85-85 at the end of the third overtime.
Keeping up the intensity, the lady Panthers picked up a four-point lead within a minute and a half of the fourth overtime setting the score 89-85. Mississppi Valley attempted to close the gap, but guard Jeanette Jackson denied them with a jumper to give the Panthers a 91-87 lead with 2:41 left in the game.
Prairie View Lady Panthers held Mississippi Valley at 87 points the rest of the game as they racked up nine points, allowing Kiara Etienne to hit a three-pointer at the final second to win 100-87.
The Lady Panthers played hard 300 minutes of the game with enthusiasm, refusing to lose.
"I told coach we can go all night if we want to," said Williams. "I bet they're leaving the court before we do. We came here to get the win, and we were not leaving without it."